Air Con - Help me decide
Discussion
My car is currently in Blackpool undergoing mild fettling and the 6K service. At the moment it doesn't have air conditioning and, whilst I'm a firm believer in "if it's hot enough for air con, it's hot enough to take the lid off" idiom, I'm considering having it fitted while the car has it's trousers down.
Having trawled this site for knowledge, I'm at a point where I need the wisdom of my peers.
Pros and Cons as I see it:
Cons first-
The unit is no great performer, but there's no OEM alternative.
It's two grand for not a lot of cold air.
The additional weight may have an effect on performance/handling.
It's another thing to go wrong.
Pros-
It makes the car more saleable - when the time comes.
I like cold air, however limited the supply.
To my mind, the negatives outweigh the positives, yet I'm still waivering. I'd like to put my dilemma the panel to help me decide. Any input from someone having had air con fitted as an after sales item would be appreciated and their feelings on how it might have affected the character of the car.
Help me Obi-Wan, you're my only hope.
Having trawled this site for knowledge, I'm at a point where I need the wisdom of my peers.
Pros and Cons as I see it:
Cons first-
The unit is no great performer, but there's no OEM alternative.
It's two grand for not a lot of cold air.
The additional weight may have an effect on performance/handling.
It's another thing to go wrong.
Pros-
It makes the car more saleable - when the time comes.
I like cold air, however limited the supply.
To my mind, the negatives outweigh the positives, yet I'm still waivering. I'd like to put my dilemma the panel to help me decide. Any input from someone having had air con fitted as an after sales item would be appreciated and their feelings on how it might have affected the character of the car.
Help me Obi-Wan, you're my only hope.
"The additional weight may have an effect on performance/handling."
I frankly don't beleive anyone who says they can feel the difference.
On a hot day you are much hotter with the roof off than with it on with air-con on.
LAst August on the record breaking hot day it was MUCH MUCH cooler having the roof on with the air-con on than having the roof off.
And if it is sunny with the roof off you get burnt too.
Put it this way. How many convertables do you see in hot countries? (UK sells more convertables than France Italy and Spain combined).
Add in the heat that comes into the cabin from the engine, and I wouldn't even consider a Tuscan that didn't have aircon
Mark
I frankly don't beleive anyone who says they can feel the difference.
On a hot day you are much hotter with the roof off than with it on with air-con on.
LAst August on the record breaking hot day it was MUCH MUCH cooler having the roof on with the air-con on than having the roof off.
And if it is sunny with the roof off you get burnt too.
Put it this way. How many convertables do you see in hot countries? (UK sells more convertables than France Italy and Spain combined).
Add in the heat that comes into the cabin from the engine, and I wouldn't even consider a Tuscan that didn't have aircon
Mark
The aircon system must weigh between 20 and 30 kgs, so you wouldn't notice it. If you're going for VMax you can always turn it off for maximum power. You never know, it might actually improve performance if the fuel lines get cooled by it.
I found it works enough to be useful. I don't always take the roof off and the heat soak is not inconsiderable through the gear box bit of the tunnel.
Cheers,
Andy.
I found it works enough to be useful. I don't always take the roof off and the heat soak is not inconsiderable through the gear box bit of the tunnel.
Cheers,
Andy.
Well just to play devils advocate, when I was looking for a tuscan it made no difference to me if it had it or not so I dunno about the resale arguement.
I've got it in my other car, hardly ever use it to be honest..in my mundaeno it's been good on long journeys with 4 folk in the car on a hot day going to goodwood... but that was one day in a year.
It's another thing to go wrong. It probably will. And it's 2K.. I mean there must be 200 quid of parts tops now that even micras come with it as standard nearly. I'd not have it just for that alone.
And hey, the blue light still works without it.. you could pretend you have it ! :-)
stu
I've got it in my other car, hardly ever use it to be honest..in my mundaeno it's been good on long journeys with 4 folk in the car on a hot day going to goodwood... but that was one day in a year.
It's another thing to go wrong. It probably will. And it's 2K.. I mean there must be 200 quid of parts tops now that even micras come with it as standard nearly. I'd not have it just for that alone.
And hey, the blue light still works without it.. you could pretend you have it ! :-)
stu
basil brush said:
I wouldn´t have bought a Tuscan without it.
Same here, it is a 'must have' as far as I'm concerned. It makes summer 'roof-on' travel bearable, there's nothing worse than arriving somewhere looking 'sticky' because the cabin was too hot.
I also find it useful in the winter for demisting the windows.
I don't get the argument that it helps resale. Yes, you can stick an extra grand on your asking price, but you either paid that extra bit when you bought it or when you had it fitted anyway - so you're not exactly any better off, are you?
What is the point of having a convertible if you can't take the roof off during the 4-6 weeks of roof-off weather that Britain allocates to you?
What is the point of having a convertible if you can't take the roof off during the 4-6 weeks of roof-off weather that Britain allocates to you?
Naith said:
What is the point of having a convertible if you can't take the roof off during the 4-6 weeks of roof-off weather that Britain allocates to you?
Agreed.
Britain gets plenty of summer rain too; think warm 'muggy' days when you have no choice but to pop the lid on. On days like that, air con a wonderful thing to have.
In terms of resale I don't know anyone who decided NOT to buy a car because it air-con. You may not re-coup your investment but you may make your car a more saleable item.
Just my 2ps worth.
Living in London(where no journey out of london for a blast is complete without being stuck in traffic at some point) the air-con is a god send.
I did not have it in my Chim 500 and the heatsoak roof on or off in the summer was almost unbearable when in traffic.
In my Tuscan it makes the world of difference between being too hot and sticky and bearable.
I tend to use it more with the roof off ! I close all the vents except the one to the drivers footwell and a nice cool blast of air on your legs makes all the difference.
Last year I drove back from wales on the M4 on the hottest day of the year, roof on, air con on, very hungover, but just comfortable...with an outside temperature of 33 degrees plus...
I had a run yesterday with the roof on and the air con was nice and cool...
Also with my car now 4 years old, my air-con has been run every couple of weeks since new and not needed re-gassed...
cheers
Whitey
Ps. I always ensure the air con is turned off when driving in anger so I ensure my full complement of BHP
I did not have it in my Chim 500 and the heatsoak roof on or off in the summer was almost unbearable when in traffic.
In my Tuscan it makes the world of difference between being too hot and sticky and bearable.
I tend to use it more with the roof off ! I close all the vents except the one to the drivers footwell and a nice cool blast of air on your legs makes all the difference.
Last year I drove back from wales on the M4 on the hottest day of the year, roof on, air con on, very hungover, but just comfortable...with an outside temperature of 33 degrees plus...
I had a run yesterday with the roof on and the air con was nice and cool...
Also with my car now 4 years old, my air-con has been run every couple of weeks since new and not needed re-gassed...
cheers
Whitey
Ps. I always ensure the air con is turned off when driving in anger so I ensure my full complement of BHP
Naith said:
I don't get the argument that it helps resale. Yes, you can stick an extra grand on your asking price, but you either paid that extra bit when you bought it or when you had it fitted anyway - so you're not exactly any better off, are you?
Except three people have already said they wouldn't buy one without it, so that's a large percentage less of potential buyers.
Naith said:
What is the point of having a convertible if you can't take the roof off during the 4-6 weeks of roof-off weather that Britain allocates to you?
Agreed. Convertibles are a stupid idea
Mark
Can't say I really noticed the difference between my Tuscan that had air-con and the one that didn't .... unless the one with air-con had a faulty unit - you just can't tell with TVR.
It's never bothered me whether it had air-con or not when purchasing and every TVR salesman I've spoken to has given that knowing 'smirk' when you say the words 'Tuscan' and 'Air-Con' together as they know you're paying alot for nothing.
It's never bothered me whether it had air-con or not when purchasing and every TVR salesman I've spoken to has given that knowing 'smirk' when you say the words 'Tuscan' and 'Air-Con' together as they know you're paying alot for nothing.
I can't say I noticed a real difference. Thought the idea of having a convertible was that you liked being a poser and taking off the roof. Came back from Le Mans last w/e with the roof off all the way and can't say I felt any more uncomfortable than I usually do after a 4 hour drive whatever the weather/temperature. As an idea save yourself 2 grand and just purchase some sun block a hat and some glasses.
I have to admit to considering having air con fitted on my 2003 4.0L. I live in Central London, so a fair bit of driving (!) is standing in traffic with the radiator fans blowing even hotter air around the car.
£2K for what is basically a fridge with a fan is a high price to pay. In the fridge world, I could probably get a stainless steel, double door with an ice maker for the same price.
£2K for what is basically a fridge with a fan is a high price to pay. In the fridge world, I could probably get a stainless steel, double door with an ice maker for the same price.
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